LaTrobe University’s autonobus trial – how did it go?

A report on the recent trial of the autonobus driverless shuttle within the grounds of the Bundoora campus of La Trobe University has been released.

The autonobus was tested on the campus route from October 2017, with the public trial of the autonobus running from April to July 2018. All up the autonobus drove 682 kilometres, with 276 kilometres travelled during the public trial. 517 participants took part in that public trial, taking a ride along the 2.5 kilometre route, travelling at a maximum speed of 18 kilometres per hour.

Safe? Tick. Reliable? Tick.

Happily, in a project in which safety was the primary concern, the autonobus operated without incident, breakdown, or cancellation of service.

Driverless shuttles and their role in the mobility mix

“The pilot project provided strong evidence autonomous buses present a significant opportunity in the short term to meet existing mobility needs and encourage more people on to public transport in Victoria and across Australia. The trial demonstrated autonomous buses can and should play an important role in the mobility mix as a complementary service to existing public transport,” said David Franks, CEO of Keolis Downer.

A public hit

“It’s clear from the results of the trial that autonomous buses are already close to reality in transport users’ minds,” said Professor Ani Desai, Director of La Trobe’s Centre for Technology Infusion.

“Before jumping on board Autonobus, almost 20 per cent of passenger surveyed said they could not see themselves riding on driverless buses in the future.

“After experiencing the technology first-hand, just 10 per cent of passengers still felt this way. Critically, the study also indicated that potential customers would be willing to pay a fair price for such a service.”

Download the autonobus trial report

Click the button below to download a copy of Future-driven autonobus pilot project.

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Author: Scott Fitzgerald

Scott looks after the iMOVE CRC website, including its content production, and social media accounts. He's looking forward to seeing all the innovation that will be driven by iMOVE. Favourite car he's ever owned? No question, a 1965 XP Ford Falcon Futura hardtop.